THE NEW manager an iconic Southend pub has promised the show will go on - with the promise of quality live music

The Railway Hotel, which was saved from crippling debt by its loyal customers who contributed more than £12,000 in an eleventh-hour fundraiser, will be run by new manager James Vessey-Miller from July.

Mr Vessey-Miller has promised the thing patrons love most - live music. This will not change and the pub will once again serve a variety of vegan dishes.

Fi and Dave Dulake will remain behind the scenes at the pub in Clifftown Road.

Mr Vessey-Miller, announcing his plans on social media, said: “The Railway has been a big part of our lives for a long time, and it’s one of Southend’s most-loved institutions. The Railway is unlike any other pub in town and I have enjoyed it as customers for years."

The Railway, like a lot of pubs across the country, has been struggling. Last year it was threatened with closure, and thanks to a massive amount of donations from the pub’s beloved community via a crowdfunding campaign, the worst of the debts have been paid off and it remains open. Dave and Fi have been running the place for over a decade, and they have created an anarchistic Eden, a punk nirvana, a home for the town’s beautiful alternatives. We cannot let what they have built, and the community of people that call the pub home, fade into memory. For this to happen, the place needs support; and we hope to be some of that support."

Mr Vessey-Miller added: “I want to be very clear in saying that the pub will not change.

“Small changes will be made, and you might notice one or two differences here or there but the pub will remain a live music venue, it will be vegan, and it will still proudly play host to the town’s artistic and cultural scene.

It’ll probably get a lick of paint and a good clean over the next few months, but nothing drastic.”

“Fi and Dave will remain a big part of the place and will still be managing a great deal of the pub for a while.

“They’ve devoted every day, seven days a week, for over a decade to build the pub into what it is, and now it’s time they enjoyed a well-earned rest.”